I
ordered the Crouching Tuna, Hidden Shrimp Roll, a toss of the dice
from a menu that suggested unexpected flavor combinations on every
line. The menu deconstructed the roll by listing tuna, avocado,
shrimp, soy glaze, wasabi cream and caviar, but I chose to let the
roll surprise me and let the flavors speak for themselves.

The Daily
Special Soup, Thai Curry Peanut with Shrimp, an ideal prelude to the
roll, was filled with surprising flavors and a touch of heat in a rich
brown broth. When I asked chef Justin Disbrow about the soup, he said,
"I just threw it together this morning. We simmered the broth for
four hours, shrimp stock, coconut milk and peanut butter." Well,
that plus some alchemy from a talented chef and two succulent shrimp
made a memorable starter.

After our server
explained the small plates/entrees menu, my companion chose a
"flight." "Each small plate," our server
explained, "is one third of an entrée, or 2 ounces of food. A
traditional entrée will measure 6 ounces, thus three small plates
make up a flight." Even though 2 ounces sounded like a minor bit
of food, those small plates were not "small."

My companion
ordered Pheasant and Waffles, Beer Can Chicken Enchiladas and Seared
Sea Scallops. The pheasant, served on an oatmeal waffle with maple
syrup butter and cranberry tomato jam, resonated with original
flavors. The enchilada, stuffed with chicken alongside pork belly
beans, topped the scale at considerably more than 2 ounces and her
scallops were perfect, sweet and tender, enhanced by a hint of
coconut.

Families are
welcome in the dining room at this hybrid country club where the
public is invited to dine along with club members. We turned the Small
Plates menu over and found kid-friendly Flatbread Pizza, Chicken
Tenders and a Nines Burger. But, it’s no ordinary burger as it’s
topped with jalapeno bacon, an onion ring and beer cheese. There are
also some more sophisticated items on the menu, such as Mussels and
Fries, Buffalo Calamari and Cheese and Charcuterie.

For wine lovers,
the Nines has a Cruvinet with 44 wines available by the glass. The
club also has a corporate meeting room, a banquet hall that seats 500,
a wine lounge for live music and tastings, and for the younger set, a
game room.

We didn’t plan
to finish with dessert until our server mentioned bread pudding and
eggnog in the same sentence …